#backtotheoldhouse

BACK TO THE OLD HOUSE:

AN UNCOVERING OF DUSTY VINTAGE.....

CLAN OF XYMOX

“NO WORDS”

4AD (1985)

“NO WORDS” is simply one of my all time favorite tracks, ever.

Written by Dutch group CLAN OF XYMOX and released via the seminal post-punk label 4AD, “No Words” is that perfect slice of dark pop. It simply captures everything I love about 1980’s era Goth, plaintive and mired in darkness, poppy yet unmistakably intellectual.

While Clan of Xymox are a fine band, nothing they’ve done before or since “No Words” has personally resonated with me as much as those precise 4 mins and 20 seconds. So infectiously poppy, “No Words” captures a young band fresh & pale, before the heavy electro elements would hold firm. That light funk riff (skeletal & catchy) held up by a pounding back beat with just the precise amount of airy synths, coming together as an all functioning bed for those longing vocals.....

BACK TO THE OLD HOUSE:

AN UNCOVERING OF DUSTY VINTAGE....

BRUCE COCKBURN

“LOVERS IN A DANGEROUS TIME”

TRUE NORTH (1984)

“LOVERS IN A DANGEROUS TIME” is a long forgotten guitar pop gem by Canadian artist BRUCE COCKBURN. Originally released as a 7″ Single from the 1984 LP ‘Stealing Fire.’

At times reminiscent of a cleaner sounding Replacements or one of Billy Bragg’s love songs only glossier. The (somewhat) dated production sounds remarkably fresh today which really helps the track stand on its own as a great guitar pop relic from the genres most fruitful time.

Opinions vary on the origins of the content, with some speculating that it had to do with the encroaching HIV/AIDS epidemic, while others believed it be influenced by the recent Guatemalan refugee crisis, in which Cockburn himself witnessed on a trip to Central America prior to the writing and recording of ‘Stealing Fire.’ Cockburn has kept mum for the most part, claiming the song was inspired by simple schoolyard love, but has encouraged all kinds of interpretations of the song’s meaning. Personally, I just think it’s a great guitar pop song with a timeless feel both lyrically and musically. Take for example this here lyrical snippet:  

“But nothing worth having comes without some sort of fight / Got to kick at the darkness / Till it bleeds daylight"

Fucking brilliant!

There’s nothing quite like discovering a long lost pop gem, enjoy!